Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R19/00—Wheel guards; Radiator guards, e.g. grilles; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions
  • B60R19/52—Radiator or grille guards ; Radiator grilles

Definitions

• the invention relates to a front protection bar for motor vehicles according to the preamble of claim 1.
• front protection bars for off-road vehicles serve to protect the front part of the vehicle against branches, rocky outcrops and against other objects protruding into the guideway when the vehicle is used in the off-road.
• the front protection bar is intended to provide effective protection for the lights in the front area and the radiator grille with the air inlet openings to the engine compartment, particularly in rough off-road conditions.
• the front protection bar is formed from a rigid tubular frame which is attached to the vehicle body.
• the off-road vehicles with attached front protection bars are not only used in the field, but also on public roads.
• the risk of injury to people who are caught by the off-road vehicle, especially its front guard, is much higher than that of passenger cars.
• the invention has for its object to provide a simply constructed front protection bar for motor vehicles, which reduces the risk of injury to persons caught by the vehicle and still allows universal use of the motor vehicle by insert devices and front attachments. This object is achieved by the features specified in the characterizing part of patent claim 1.
• connecting points of parts of the front protection bar to one another or of the front protection bar to the body or parts of the front protection bar itself have elements which are designed to be damped and resilient to forces which act in the event of a person impact.
• the resiliently designed elements effectively achieve that the forces acting in the collision with the person are damped, thereby reducing the extent of possible injuries to the person.
• FIG. 1A shows a front protective bar according to the invention fastened to an off-road vehicle, with an integrated folded-down cover plate,
• IB the front protection bar attached to the off-road vehicle with the cover plate folded up and an adaptation device for additional devices, which has become freely accessible in a special bumper, in which application devices such as e.g. a winch, are installed,
• FIG. 2A shows a front view of the front protection bracket according to the invention
• FIG. 2B is a front view of the front protection according to the invention iron with cover plate attached
• FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIGS. 2A and 2B,
• FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a central protective web of the front protective bar according to the invention.
• FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 4;
• FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG. 4;
• FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the front protection iron according to the invention with a body fastening
• FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view showing a second embodiment of the attachment of an upper protective web
• FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view showing a third of the fastening of the upper protective web.
• Fig. 10 is a plan view of a swivel bracket.
• a front protective bar designated by 1 is attached to a vehicle 50.
• the attachment of the front protection bar 1 to the vehicle, truck, small truck, passenger transport or passenger car Gen, preferably off-road vehicle 50, is designed in the embodiment shown analogous to the attachment that is specified by the applicant's EP 0 156 301 B1, and which has a pivot bracket 23 and a locking element 9 for attachment to the body of the vehicle ( see Fig. 7).
• a cover plate 2 is fastened via an axis of rotation 3 either to the vehicle itself (see FIG. 2A) or to the front protective bar 1 (see FIG. 2B).
• the axis of rotation 3 is preferably attached to the front guard 1 via a bracket (not shown) on a central protective web 6.
• the cover plate 2 can be rotated about the axis of rotation 3 from a position folded down (see FIG. 1A), in which an adaptation device 51 covers additional devices is pivoted into an upwardly folded position (see FIG. 1B) in which the adaptation device 51 is freely accessible.
• the cover plate 2 is locked both in its folded-up position and in the folded-down position and bears a license plate 52 with an official license plate on both sides.
• the adaptation device 51 is used to couple attachments, e.g. Snow plow, and in its interior the reception of emergency equipment, e.g. a winch.
• the adaptation device 51 requires a special bumper, into which it is integrated, and a corresponding cutout in the front protection bar.
• the front protective bar 1 consists of two frame parts 4 which are connected to one another via the central protective web 6 and an upper protective web 7.
• a spoiler protection bar 5 and a lamp protection bar 8 each extend laterally from the frame parts 4.
• the connection points of the frame parts 4 with the vehicle 50, the connection points of the middle protective web 6 and the upper protective web 7 with the frame parts 4 and the connection points of the spoiler protection bar 5 and the lamp protection bar 8 with the Frame parts 4 provided with damped elastic elements.
• the middle protective web 6, the spoiler protection bracket 5 and the lamp protection bracket 8 are provided with an elastic damping material (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 6), which is also described in detail below.
• the frame parts 4 are covered at the front and on the side with an elastic material 13 (e.g. with the soft touch material PUR-RIM soft).
• This material yields in a damping manner on impact with a person, whereby an even larger impact surface with a further damping effect is created.
• the frame parts 4, which have a U-shaped profile, are connected to one another in their upper region by the upper protective web 7 and in the central region by the central protective web 6.
• the upper protective web 7, depending on the front contour of the vehicle 50, is designed to run upwards and is curved toward the vehicle in order to minimize the risk of injury to persons.
• the protective web 6 is positioned between the frame parts 4 in such a way that a freely accessible space for the adaptation device 51 is achieved below it in a corresponding assignment to a special recess in the bumper.
• connection point 14a (see FIG. 7) between the upper protective web 7 and the respective frame part 4, the Upper protective web 7 on a base plate 35, which is embedded in a support-elastic damping material 14.
• the support-elastic damping material 14 is received in a container 36 which is connected to the respective frame part 4 in a suitable manner, for example by welding or screwing.
• the damping material 14 is such that a movement of the upper protective web 7 relative to the respective frame part 4 and its return movement is dampened after an impact.
• the effects of a person impact on the person are reduced by the damped movement sequence, which is caused by the damping material 14, as well as by a plastic deformation work of the container 36, by the base plate 35 and by the protective web 7 pushed away.
• the deformed container 36 counteracts a springback of the protective web 7.
• a connection point 14b between the upper protective web 7 and the frame parts 4 has a hinge 25, one half of which is firmly connected, preferably welded, to the base plate 35 of the upper protective web 7.
• the other half of the hinge 25 is connected to the frame part 4.
• the hinge 25 is held together by means of a bendable clamp 24, which consists of a tough, plastically deformable material, this arrangement also being arranged within the container 36, which is filled with the inert elastic damping material 14.
• the force required to bend the clamp 24 open is first overcome, after which a damped sequence of movements of the upper protective web 7 is also brought about by the support-elastic damping material 14 and by the deformation of the container 36.
• the container 36 is, as in the first embodiment shape, attached to the frame part 4.
• Other structural solutions of the hinge 25 are possible, for example the hinge axis can also be arranged at the front and the base plate 35 can be connected to the lower half of the hinge.
• FIG. 9 A third embodiment of the connection point 14c between the upper protective web 7 and the frame parts 4 is shown in FIG. 9.
• a folded plate 26 is connected to the bottom plate 35 of the upper protective bracket 7 and the frame part 4.
• the folded sheet 26 is preferably welded to the base plate 35.
• the necessary deformation work on the folded sheet metal 26, which consists of a tough, plastically deformable material and the support-elastic damping material 14, as well as the damping-deforming container 36 produce the impact-reducing effect.
• the container 36 is, as in the two previously described embodiments, on the frame part 4 in a suitable manner, e.g. attached by welding.
• Other constructive solutions of the folded sheet 26 are possible.
• the bending point of the folded sheet 26 can also be arranged at the front and the base plate 35 can be connected to the lower part of the folded sheet 26.
• the central protective web 6 connects the frame parts 4 to one another in their central region.
• a preferred embodiment of the middle protective web 6 can be seen from FIGS. 4 to 6.
• the middle protective web 6 has a profile strip 11 made of a damping material on its front side.
• the profile strip 11 is preferably designed such that it is fastened in a fold 38 (see FIG. 6) by insertion with the central protective web 6.
• Other profile shapes and other types of fastening, for example by gluing, are deviating from the illustrated embodiment also possible. Due to the elastic material and the shape of the profile strip 11, the movement of a body pressing into the profile strip 11 is dampened by the constantly increasing impact surface.
• the middle protective web 6 is fastened to the frame parts 4 via shock absorbers 12 (see FIGS. 4 and 5), the threaded parts 12a of which are passed through bores 18 in the frame parts 4 and each by means of a nut 37 which is screwed onto the threaded part 12a, is attached.
• the shock absorber 12a is preferably designed such that a movement of the central protective web 6 relative to the frame parts 4 in the event of an impact and the movement in the opposite direction is damped.
• shock absorbers 12 acting on one side is also possible.
• the profile of the central protective web 6 is designed in such a way that, in the event of a personal impact, plastic deformation leads to an ever increasing impact surface, which further reduces the impact.
• the upper protective web 7 can also be provided with a damping material at its front region.
• the lamp protection brackets 8 and the spoiler protection brackets 5 each have profile strips 10 made of a damping material on their front.
• the profile strip 10 is preferably designed such that it is fastened in a fold 38 (see FIG. 3) by insertion with the spoiler protection bar 5 or the lamp protection bar 8.
• the shape and the properties of the profile strip 10 to the profile strip 11 is of the same design. Modifications in terms of shape and type of fastening are also possible.
• a bracket 29 is in each case with the inside of the frame parts 4, e.g. by welding.
• the holder 29 carries a pipe clamp 16 which receives an annular, support-elastic damping material 15, in which the corresponding end of the respective lamp protection bracket 8 is embedded.
• the spoiler protection bars 5 are guided through bores 20 into the inner, U-shaped area of the frame parts 4, and fastened there like the ends of the lamp protection bars 8.
• the impact reduction is achieved by the lamp protection bracket 8 and the spoiler protection bracket 5 in that the person who comes into collision with the lamp protection bracket 8 or the spoiler protection bracket 5 presses in the profile strips 10, which are made of damping material, and that, with greater forces, the inert elastic damping material 15 and then the holder 29 itself is plastically deformed. Since both the movement of the spoiler protection bar 5 and the lamp protection bracket 8 in the event of an impact and their return movement are damped, the effects during the collision are alleviated for the person.
• the lamp protection brackets 8 and the spoiler protection brackets 5 consist of a material which springs back only slightly, and that both the spoiler protection brackets 5 and the lamp protection brackets 8, insofar as this is possible on the motor vehicle side, are elastically latched in brackets at their outer ends are (not shown), which in turn at a suitable point on the body of the vehicle, for example on the fender, which is little after its deformation springs back, are attached.
• the cross section of the spoiler protection bar 5 or the lamp protection bracket 8 is essentially circular in FIG. 3, other suitable profile shapes are also possible.
• the front protective bar 1 is connected to the vehicle 50 via the pivot bracket 23 and the locking element 9.
• a shock absorber 21 which preferably acts on both sides and deforms in order to reduce the recoil, is fastened to a body element 22, with its inertia-elastic properties, which carries a receptacle 28 at its front end via a bolt 30 so that the front protective bar 1 can pivot around the bolt 30 is designed to be pivotable.
• the front protective bar 1 is preferably connected to the vehicle 50 via two swivel brackets 23.
• a force F R acts at an angle ⁇ to the horizontal, the angle ⁇ extending in the range from 0 to approximately 45 °.
• the force F R has a horizontal force component F x and a vertical force component F 2 .
• the shock absorber 21 has a ring-shaped damping element 31 which has a sleeve 32 on the inner circumference for guiding a shock absorber piston 34. On the outer circumference, the damping element 31 is supported by a receptacle 32 connected to the body element 22.
• the damping element 31 acts in the radial direction, vertically applied forces can also be absorbed by it.
• two locking elements 9 are provided, which can be locked in a locking device of the motor vehicle, not shown.
• the locking elements 9 are preferably connected to double-acting shock absorbers 17.
• the shock absorbers 17 are formed with ring-shaped damping elements 40 which have sleeves 41 on the inner circumference for guiding shock absorber pistons 43. On the outer circumference, the damping elements 40 are received by receptacles 41 which are fastened to an inner side 19 of the frame parts 4. Vertical shock components are thus also absorbed by the shock absorbers 17.
• the shock absorbers 17 have the inertial properties already described above, so that a pushing in of the front protective bracket 1 towards the vehicle 50 takes place without any substantial springback.
• shock absorbers 17 and 21 acting on one side is also possible.
• the locking element 9 has a screw-on and thus adjustable eyelet 39.
• pivot bracket 23 can also be designed with a damping device acting between the pin 30 and the receptacle 28.
• the vertical force components F 2 can also be absorbed by damping arrangements acting in the vertical direction on the bolt 30 or the locking elements 9.
• shock absorbers 12, 17 and 21 are in their construction to the sentlichen in ⁇ we return free damping elements similar to those in DE-GM 93 07 059.4 and EP 92 110 549.0 are described in more detail.
• shock absorbers 12, 17 and 21 are, however, not limited to the embodiment described. Rather, shock absorbers that act with a liquid medium (oil) or a gaseous medium (air) can also be used. Furthermore, shock absorbers that work by means of friction can also be used. A spiral spring consisting of several twisted wire strands can also be used due to the inherent friction and the damped movement behavior.
• the front protection bar can consist of metal, a plastic or a metal-plastic combination.
• front protection bar is designed to be foldable
• the invention is not restricted to this.
• Other, generally known types of fastening between the front guard and the vehicle are also possible.
• the front protection bar 1 fulfills both the requirements for a conventional ram protection and the requirements for mitigating the consequences of an impact for people.
• the front protection bar 1 combined with a corresponding recess in a bumper or similar component can also be arranged and installed according to the invention in a corresponding adaptation in the rear area of a truck, small truck, passenger transport or passenger car, preferably an off-road vehicle.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Vibration Dampers (AREA)
• Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
• Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8002185

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (8)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (15)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 1995
  • 1995-01-04 DE DE29500106U patent/DE29500106U1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1996
  • 1996-01-04 CA CA002209576A patent/CA2209576A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-01-04 EP EP96900299A patent/EP0797517B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-01-04 JP JP8520734A patent/JPH10506595A/ja active Pending
  • 1996-01-04 DE DE59605132T patent/DE59605132D1/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1996-01-04 RU RU97112923A patent/RU2126334C1/ru active
  • 1996-01-04 WO PCT/EP1996/000024 patent/WO1996020852A1/de active IP Right Grant
  • 1996-01-04 ES ES96900299T patent/ES2146863T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-01-04 AU AU43905/96A patent/AU4390596A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (15)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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